Standing nervously in a long line at the convention center, she lugged an heirloom with a secret even her family didn’t know. A crowd of hopefuls had assembled this Saturday morning, all clutching or hauling antiques, collected from sitting rooms and dust-covered mantels, or scrounged and rummaged from attics and closets, or bargained for in garage sales. They didn’t jump out of bed early, and change outfits three times, to come and sell their stuff at the flea market. No, they triple-prepped because they thought that maybe, just maybe, they owned something of unusual interest or value that would get them onto the set of a TV episode of “Antiques Roadshow: Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures.”
Today, she was “together.” Freshly styled, cascading ombre hair framed her pretty face and tumbled onto her purple shirt, and an eye-catching silver choker glinted at her neckline. Her extra effort turned out to be an investment in her future. The framed “print” she carried was arresting in its own way, so that she was eventually ushered to the main presenter’s table, as cameras recorded her interview with the art appraiser. Now the center of attention in a high stakes “show and tell,” her eyes sparkled in the telling, and her item stole the show.
Under glass, in an old frame, the artwork had hung over her grandmother’s bed, and she inherited it when her grandmother passed away. It was appraised twice as a printed reproduction of little consequence—in 1998, for $200, and then again, in 2004, for $250. When she opened the frame recently to remove a dead mosquito trapped between the glass and the image, she saw something that scared her with a thought that this print might be “real.”
The picture itself is beautiful. Henry Francois Farny had painted a traveling group of Native Americans in 1892, some on foot, some on horseback, peacefully emerging from an alpine grove at the bend in a high mountain pass. The hue of the evergreen forest shifts into the distant blue of the cloudless sky, and cuts a jagged edge at the treeline of a massive Rocky Mountain summit that dominates the setting. The artist masterly captured the tiny details in the journeying figures, and their clothing and supplies, and skillfully wrapped them in the grandness of nature under an infinite sky.
The appraiser explained how Farny lived and traveled with the Sioux tribe, and chose to portray peaceful scenes of their way of life, rather than sensationalize their existence with violence and conflict. Theodore Roosevelt once told the artist, “Farny, the nation owes you a great debt. It does not realize it now, but it will some day. You are preserving for future generations phases of American history that are rapidly passing away.” Clark, S. J. (1912). Cincinnati, the Queen City, 1788-1912, Volume 2. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 449. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
On Antiques Roadshow, the appraiser usually builds the suspense by pointing out clues of authenticity on the way to revealing the estimated value, but Meredith Hilferty avoided the question of originality. She ended her description of the artist and subject matter abruptly, and, without any warning, she revealed an appraised value a thousand times higher than any previous appraisal had dared—$200,000-$300,000!
The young woman suddenly slumped forward, catching her head in her hand, and fought tears for the next couple of minutes as she struggled to control her emotions on camera. With this revelation, her life was changed. In a single moment, everything was different—the moment she realized she had inherited a national treasure.
We enjoy watching Antiques Roadshow because we are all born with a desire to possess treasure, and spend our lives looking for and storing up treasures for ourselves, and for our children. This show reveals that there may be treasures right under our noses, so that we start to think twice about hauling our junk off to the dump. What if that old ceramic vase that grandma gave us is worth a fortune? What if I could find a real treasure at the antiques store that everyone else overlooked?
What if an appraiser looked into your life, and found something you had completely overlooked—something of untold value—that would change your outlook, your opportunities, and your life?
For some of you, this may be the moment you discover, or rediscover, a treasure beyond measure. It hung on your grandma’s wall, or collected dust on the mantel, in the background of your life. Months, even years, may have passed since you truly admired it… Even your family has said, “That old thing? You can have it… now, what about that rocking chair in the front room?”
Here is my reveal… I’m going to assume the role of appraiser and point out a treasure that is yours already, and remind you of its value and its power to enrich your moments. It’s not a thing that can be touched or traded, or stolen, or destroyed.
In the Bible, God told Abram, “I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1.*
Have you forgotten God, in the moment-to-moment? It’s easy to do, because He’s not a visible companion. I think we’ve all been there, probably more often than we’re willing to admit.
We spend far too much time pursuing other treasure, hoping and yearning for more, looking past the Savior and Sustainer of the entire universe, Jesus Christ. Many of us are willing to trust Him with our eternal future, but somehow, in the present moment, we neglect to reach out to Him. We forget where true meaning and real value lives, and forge ahead to create our own kingdoms—under the nose of God—but without seeking His face.**
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10.*
Jesus came so that we may have a moment-by-moment fellowship with the Father, even as He does. He came so that we can surrender in our moments to the Father, even as He does. He came so that we can understand and receive the treasure that He is, and invite Him, as the treasured One, to live through us in our moments.
This is what Paul means, when he writes, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:27.*
Maybe you are not treasuring God right now. Maybe you’re angry because of something you’ve lost, or because some kind of pain or bad news weighs you down. Maybe you feel God has let you down, or forgotten you, when you were in great need. May God remind you, right now, that your deepest need is to fellowship with Him. He hasn’t forgotten you. He is knocking on your door even now. Will you get up out of your easy chair and open the door to Him? Perhaps pain is the doorway to a deeper fellowship with Him?
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20.
Practice a yielded heart, and an invitational spirit, toward the LORD, so that your life can take on a depth and meaning in His presence, and, in His power, you will realize the opportunity in your moments, far beyond what your own wisdom and strength could grasp.
If you have never understood your need for a Savior, go straight to THIS post: (Coming Soon).
If you want to know the principles of The Surrendered Moment, and the power of God to transform your life through it, go to THIS post: A Challenge to “WWJD” (What Would Jesus Do)?-PART 1
*All scripture quoted is NIV 1984.
**NOTE: When I write about “our” tendencies and shortcomings, and sin, I am condemning myself only, and counting myself as the worst offender. I see God most clearly when I understand the depth and desperation of my need for Him. The best moments in life are the ones where we are most aware of God’s love, presence, and power, in full recognition of our own weaknesses and limitations.
The basic message in this blog is special, and resonates with the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. The messenger, however, is a broken vessel. Those who know me could tell of my faults and blind spots—I struggle against sin. I have no high horse to ride.
But broken vessels can hold living water. Imperfect people can speak truth; sinful people can accomplish good. If my cracked pitcher, with holes in the bottom, can hold holy water, there is hope for everyone! When water is poured from any broken pitcher, we shouldn’t marvel at the vessel itself, or the sheen of its glazed veneer—we should instead stand in awe at the miraculous power that, despite the laws of physics, holds the water in the pitcher, or causes it to pour out when water is needed. We should be drawn to worship and praise the goodness, the magnificence, the power, and the friendship of our God, and be thankful that He prefers to fill and use people that know they are broken—who are thirsty for Him—and desire to be filled according to His will and good purpose.
I can’t claim that my desire for Him is consistently deep, nor is my resolve to stay close to Him always strong. My faith waxes and wanes, and sin tempts me and still overwhelms me. God is gracious. He isn’t looking for perfection, or wisdom, or strength, or power, or nobility—He has all that. He is looking for a humbled people, who will yield themselves to be filled.
“For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. ESV.
This blog is a boast about God—that He is THE WONDERFUL—and His desire to fill His people, broken as we are, to pour out the good news about Him with demonstrations of His goodness, power, and friendship. Jesus is called “Emmanuel, “God with Us,” and He, in submission to the Father, has sent the Holy Spirit to demonstrate God In Us.
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